When the Grand Order crosses over with Dark Souls, you know things will be bad.
Unmarked spoilers below.
General
It bears to repeat that everyone in the Grand Order is meeting with the cast of Dark Souls. Not only is Chaldea capable of summoning characters from Dark Souls, but they must now contend with them. Considering some of the deprave, immoral actions, body horror and other horrific things certain characters in Dark Souls had done that makes some of the troublesome Servants in Chaldea look like saints, it's safe to say Chaldea will not have a fun time meeting certain characters from the game.Many Singularities, while already horrible in the original game, are made worse by the interference of Dark Souls antagonists. Whether it be raising the dead and throwing them at Chaldea or facing utterly disreputable foes who have no problem committing unethical crimes, certain Singularities begin to change by their existence. Not all of them for the better, and by Singularity 4 alongside the appearance of a Singularity in Scandinavia and an unknown eight Singularity, it's clear that things are only getting worse.
During Singularity 2: (Insert Name), it's discovered that the Good Hunter Lucien is there alongside Ludwig. It's revealed by the author that upon Ash entering the Grand Order timeline, he unwittingly caused every person viable to be a Heroic Spirit in Dark Souls to be registered in the Throne of Heroes. Meaning like with PHH, this includes both the good and the villainous.It's made worse when the author also claims that by opening this door, Ash also allowed other timelines (From Software games) to be registered. Bloodborne, Sekiro, and yes, Elden Ring have now all been allowed in the Throne. The only saving grace being that most of the new Servants are from Dark Souls... For now.
Anytime Ash or others from his world speak about their world, they usually make reference to the undead, walking abominations, constant misery and how much of a Crapsack World it became. To say they find the Earth an improvement is an understatement. Made worse when by Singularity 4, Ash's title as a lost Beast reveals his world is a timeline that has been pruned already. Meaning everything, the good, the bad, and everyone who tried to make their world better and those who lived are forever gone beyond those accepted in the Throne of Heroes.
- In an Interlude, there is someone that awakens inside the dark and is lost. It then finds both Goetia and Tiamat at the same time and instinctively knows it's like them. The former of which who then shows the figure something that makes them snap with the ending revealing they're a Beast of Wrath. It's heavily implied this is Manus, Father of the Abyss where elsewhere, Aldia of all people freaks out and believes the world will fall unless a certain Master deals with them.
- During the events of Singularity 2, Chaldea faces one of the worst antagonists in the Dark Souls series. Mentioned in Singularity 1, the prime enemy here is none other than Aldritch, Devourer of Gods. As a reminder, he's a cannibalistic 'Saint' that eats his enemies and has no problem in desecrating the dead.
- When travelling in the Singularity, many soldiers make mention how they and Rome constantly under siege by massive spiders and, for the truly unfortunate, the Deep Accursed. Only the latter were made with more...fresh materials, as Ritsuka witnesses them.
- Somewhere in Rome, an unknown figure arrives in a simple village where a young boy, Arleno, is hidden away when countless monsters arrive. The boy is discovered, and treated kindly by an unknown man who sees great promise in him and decides to take him to safety. He tells the rest of his minions to kill everyone else in the village.
- By the time Chaldea gets there, everyone is dead and the women have been implanted with spider eggs inside them which then burst.
- When meeting Pontiff Sulyvahn he reveals Aldritch's ultimate goal. To open the door and release the Abyss and turn the world into a place he can rule. Considering what the Abyss has done to people in Dark Souls, it becomes apparent that Aldritch needs to be stopped. Olga even stating that had the Incineration not weakened Alaya, the Counter Force would have immediately sent a Counter Guardian and kill everyone, including Chaldea, to stop Aldritch.
- At the final battle, Chaldea contends with both Aldritch and Duke Tseldora. The former preparing to open the door into the Abyss, using nearly all of Rome's leylines to do so, while Tseldora releases his 'beloved' Freya, a massive spider that can shoot a laser beam.
- While one group stays to fight Tseldora and Gundyr, Ritsuka, Olga, Mash, and the rest face Aldritch. Who arrives and reveals Lev, someone he worked with, is already dead... Because he ate him. Not just him, but Aldritch gleefully admits he devoured countless Servants, including Romulus. Assimilating their power alongside Lev's appearance into his own body and now prepares to kill everybody else while taunting Olga by cruelly using Lev's memories to mock her.
- Chapter 1: In the beginning of Singularity 3, it's discovered that two figures, later revealed to be the Chosen Undead and Oscar, are running from someone. The Chosen Undead has Oscar take something and has him leave, never to return. It's because he used a Noble Phantasm that blew up an entire island. Making it clear whoever the two faced wasn't someone to mess with.
Later on, it's discovered just what the Chosen Undead gave Oscar that he sacrificed himself for. The Lord Vessel. And the person the Chosen Undead tried taking out is very much alive, and having Caenis working with them to get it back if they can.
In the seas, while battling against Knight King Rendall, Chaldea faces his Noble Phantasm which wipes they're memories, even if momentarily. So while Ritsuka and Mash quickly get those memories back, alongside the other Servants, it's revealed that Rendall's Noble Phantasm had the nasty side-effect of causing both Ash and Oscar to enter a pseudo-Hollow state. The two proceed to attack everyone without holding back.
In order to face Heracles, Ash risks his own life by shoving the Lord Vessel into his body, which both strengthen him and tears him apart. When he faces Heracles, Ash pushes back the pain and pulls out something that causes Heracles' own instincts begging him to run. With Chaldea, Havel, a Berserker who charges in to kill his foes, senses the attack and runs away with Artemis becoming frightened and David uneased.
Medea (Lily) senses that whatever Ash did, it was attacking the Texture of the World itself. It also wiped out all of Heracles lives like so.
- Chapter 25: The ending of the Scandinavia shows that there's another threat in the horizon: The Lord Father. Someone who not only orchestrated the Scandinavia Singularity, but is all but stated to be the same figure in Rome, Okeanos, and did all this just to test Olga while doing his own agenda.
And the person who reveals this threat, a grown Arleno who introduced himself after brutally commanding Kalameet to kill himself and then leaving.
- Past Singularities have already been altered by the appearance of different Dark Soul characters but remained the same. Here, upon entering London, the entire city is covered in snow and the original instigators of London already dead and replaced. The start of how divergent the next Singularities will slowly become.
- Chapter 1: Upon entering the Fourth Singularity, Ritsuka is separated from anybody and finds himself alone in the cold. With the snow immediately starting to freeze him while casting a mental effect that nearly causes him to give in. Had it not been for the appearance of a mysterious ally, Ritsuka would have eventually been frozen and left alone where anybody could have killed him.
- Chapter 21: Throughout the four Singularities, Ash has slowly begun questioning if humanity is even worth saving. Doubting as he witnesses how humans seem to praise sinful actions, while dealing with a surge of memories that frighten him. When Ash decides to simply wait and continue observing humanity, Solomon appears personally and drags Ash into the mental landscape of his original home. And what does Solomon do? He offers Ash a chance to see humanity the way he does, and Ash asks Solomon for his wisdom in a moment of temptation. Solomon gives him his memories.
- Chapter 22: It's happened. Ash has finally snapped. After witnessing thousands of years of human history, he makes his decision and meets Ritsuka... and proceeds to calmly explain how he ended his world and that he's now going to kill Ritsuka and everybody else after accepting Solomon's gift. Stating he will end their suffering. Countless adventurers and journeying, and Ritsuka could only watch and step back as his first Servant and friend immediately goes tries and murder him.
- The rest of the London Singularity Chapters very much goes downhill from Chapter 22. Not only is Ash proceeding to adhere to murdering his former friends as mercy, but it's also revealed that Ash qualifies as an Evil of Humanity itself. Becoming Lost Beast 1: Mercy with terrible implications of what this entitles to his original home. All while nothing Chaldea can do even slows Ash down, who already killed Quella dying to protect them.
- Medea then proceeds to reveal that Ash has lifted a self-seal he himself inflicted on himself and has gained the power above a Chief God. The author claims Ash at this moment, is the equal of Lostbelt!Surtr. The only reason Chaldea hadn't died immediately is because like Tiamat, Ash was holding back and even then would have still won. That is until Velka arrives and stops him... by awakening every soul inside him which places him in immense agony and destroying his very reasoning for becoming a Beast in the first place. Unfortunately, this brings little reprise as the dead remnants of Ash's world escapes from his body as wraiths and attacks everyone.
All while inside Ash, the first soul to sacrifice themself awakens.
- Chapter 27: The ending of Singularity 4 and quite frankly, the darkest ending out of the four Singularities.
During the first half of the chapter, the awakened souls are shown to be little more but agonized people who barely know what they're doing beyond trying to survive and defend themselves, shutting Ash out from his own body. All while inside Ash meets all the souls within...for a grand total of a few minutes before billions of souls are extinguished. Because Gwyn, yes, Gwyn has fully awakened and needs fuel for a body.
The rest of the chapter proceeds to feature Chaldea fighting the rampaging Ash and wraiths, slowly making progress. 'Haku', the amnestic immediately senses something is wrong and no sooner after, Ash's body explodes in light as none other than Gwyn makes his appearance.
- That's right, Gwyn. Not a Divine-Spirit, let alone a Heroic Spirit. This is the original Gwyn from Dark Souls 1 who sacrificed himself to the Flame. Who then proceeds to kill Kiyohime and torture his daughter for birthing Ash and nearly kills her. Upon seeing Ritsuka, Gwyn neither gives a long speech, ignores him, or simply just leaves because Ritsuka isn't worth his time. He straight up tries to kill him and all of Chaldea in the Singularity. Where, within seconds, kills Atalanta, Kiyohime, Arash, Jeanne, Berserker Lancelot, Astolfo, Jack, Vordt, Nursery Rhyme, Medea, Cu Chulainn, and Stahl with utter ease and maims Scathach.
- The only reason the Grand Order doesn't end in failure is because of a combined effort by Mordred, Percival, Scathach, Nobubaga, and Ash himself (who's at the same level as Ishtar), and even then, until Percival hits him with the Lance of Longinus, all they're able to do is stall him. And all that does is make Gwyn start to take things seriously, requiring Ash to use his ultimate Noble Phantasm to stop Gwyn and save everyone. You'd be forgiven in thinking that the Singularity is finally over, and Gwyn is soon to-be killed.
- Nope! Because Haku, or as he finally reveals himself, Seath, has decided to switch sides and hijacks Ritsuka's body and shoves the Chaldean Master in the backseat while Seath kills the remaining Servants aside from Ash, murders his own daughter, then nabs both the Holy Grail and Gwyn and takes them to who knows where while leaving Ritsuka's body in a coma. Needless to say, this is only the beginning of Chaldea's problems as they are no longer dealing with just Solomon, but a ressurected God and whatever else is may come.
